Having the site down allowed for a tremendous amount of backend work to be done (a more thorough IT explanation in the next post). For those not familiar with that side of things, an analogy would be that we were constantly maintaining, patching and repairing a crumbling building. The last few days enabled the old building to be demolished, new foundations laid, materials tested and then assembled.

Now, we can, without constant distraction,...

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Hope no one minds but I'm going to close/lock this thread and correspond directly with the posters above via email. Juggling a few too many things atm, still IT stuff :dunno: .

goulaigan will be first on my list of emails. The email will be called rsync nightmare.

:) Thanks again for the above,
Pat

P.S. That busy that Sarah and I haven't even had a beer together in the last fortnight :O

The following problems should only affect a tiny fraction of users.
If using Google Chrome, you may find ; upon registration, after solving the Captcha or 'Sortable' correctly you are told you are incorrect; not being able to login using your proper username and password; when posting, finding the 'Add Files' button not working.

Solution/s

This problem is extremely rare although a few users on other phpBB forum software...

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Got a strange one Pat & Sarah. I received a My first post notification so I clicked on it...It took me to page 324 . Seems to be 327 pages :think: :think: :think: Tried it 3x and same result..I went back to yesterdays email and the notification went through properly ..
J

As mentioned in the post 2017 - A Major New Year for the Site , an incredible amount of work has been spent on the new site structure, which will make the information on BIABrewer.info fast and easy to find.

In this thread, I'll try to explain the coming changes in a series of posts, which I'll endeavour to write every few days or so. These updates will include, but not be limited to:

Why 2017 and Not...

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NOTE: IF YOU USE GMAIL, PLEASE ADD OUR WEBMASTER EMAIL TO YOUR LIST OF SAFE SENDERS
Hi there shetc and thanks for your questions.

In the temporary skin (the one with green header) active topics can be changed at the bottom. In the Gold skin, this option is accessed by clicking the filter button arrowed in the pic below BUT that button is failing (see Update below).

In the new site structure, recipes will be much easier to find but I like your idea of being able to search for posts with...

The bag is a critical part of the BIAB process. You need to have a bag that is of the right material, size, shape and strength.

Bags Designed by BIABrewer

BIABrewer has designed a bag that is tapered, elasticised, tabbed and stitched strongly. It is quite a complex design and therefore expensive and time-consuming to make as a one-off item. BIABrewer.info intends, as soon as possible, to wholesale/retail a range of high quality BIAB bags to...

Whether one brews with BIAB or traditionally, all kettle sizes have advantages and disadvantages. For example, a small pot might allow you to use your stove top as a heat source but will only yield a small batch of beer whilst a huge pot might allow you to brew double-batches simply but will be large and heavy to handle, require a strong heat source and single batches might be shallow in the kettle leading to high evaporation figures and...

While having a rope and pulley system makes things easier, it is not a necessity for single batches. It is certainly not a major issue especially when starting out.

Industrial rubber gloves are a cheap and handy addition for any all-grain brewer but can be an extra God-send for the BIABrewer without a rope and pulley. Simply lift the bag slowly and twirl it until tight letting the sweet liquor/wort drain into the kettle. Now, just dump the bag. A twisted bag for a standard batch will weigh at...

[MODNOTE: Also see post #24 for a spreadsheet by bionut which does some of these calcualtions for you.]

This is a step-by-step tutorial for generating a fabric pattern for the two main pieces of fabric you will need to sew a fustrum(truncated cone)-shaped brew bag. You will cut one circular panel that will be the bottom of your bag, and one long, curved panel that will form the wall of the bag. I’ll be giving examples of the math involved using numbers from my brew pot, as well as the...

I just purchased this conical fermenter from a neighbor who is moving out of state. I've been thinking about getting a conical set up for a while so this seemed like a good deal. It's been around the horn a few times, but still looks good. I doubt if there's much to go wrong with it. It came with a ball valve at the bottom of the cone to drain the trub, a twist valve above that and a thermometer and heat belt. I'm retiring the ball valve and will clean everything thoroughly before first use....

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Interesting, Steamer...

I have no idea on your question, have never used the product, and don't know anyone that has. Trying to find their website, and think it is this one: I don't see the model listed on their site. Link from yellow pages appears to be correct and has their phone number.

You should make sure you have everything you are supposed to have. (Is there a parts diagram, user manual you could download, etc.?) Any missing gaskets, etc.? Website shows some air locks but I don't know...

I've recently moved to BIAB. I can do a 2 gal batch (by the math) on the stove top. If I'm doing anything larger, or with a heavy grain bill, I've got to use the 8 gal pot on the propane. The pot on the electric stove is no problem with the nylon bag, but i'm not so sure about over the propane.

That leads me to where I am today. I'm trying to find out what kind of height I should really have for a false bottom. I'm using a Bayou Classic 8 gal pot. They make a traditional false bottom for the...

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Davo, the ideal height is where the grain bag is a safe distance from the metal kettle bottom where the heat transfer to the metal is intense enough to melt the bag material. The distance should be minimized. PP wrote recently (with diagrams as I recall) that you do not want a significant volume of liquid trapped between the bottom of the bag and the bottom of the kettle. The temperature in that space will probably be very different from the middle of the mash. If one applies heat to restore a...

Researching brewing a New England IPA, from an article in Craft Beer & Brewing. Lots of hops are added late in this style, in the Whirlpool...along with a double dry hop (and first wort hop). I think the pros whirlpool their wort when hot or very warm, but from what I understand homebrewers that do this normally chill then whirlpool their wort.

Does anyone here whirlpool your beer...? I try to give some stirring but have never seen the cone of trub develop, and so don't really worry about...

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PistolPatch and Mad_Scientist (along with anyone else interested in hopping...),

I've done a bunch of testing over the past couple months and learned some interesting things. Wanted to pass this along... The help from you both on this has been great. I've achieved a higher level of enlightenment... Although not exactly there yet, I am definitely more educated on hopping than I was 3 months ago.

Pat - I have not done the triangle tests yet. Realize this is the best way but at least as far as...

I just read a post that dick kindly wrote here in the My First Post! - Post here to become Fully Registered thread.

You often see questions on other forums as to what materials are good for BIAB. Brewers ask whether they are food-safe, at what temps they melt, how long they last etc, etc.

dick always does great posts and I am hoping he will post here but if anyone else has any feedback on BIAB bag materials they have used or are using, please free to let us know how they have or are working...

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I came here searching for info because I just re-listened to the Beersmith podcast on BIAB Brewing. It made me think I could benefit from a custom bag. The info you guys have provided here is great! Thanks.

I contacted a guy who hangs out at the big homebrew site and advertises hem makes bags, he sews then to fit your kettle, they work great and are easy to handle, the first bag I got I ordered from my LHBS and it was a mess.

I recently bought a S/S hop basket which hangs nicely on the inside of my 40L Crown Urn. It's an Ebay/H.K buy at about $26. I wanted to see the difference from a hopsock, and now prefer the basket.
I saw the KegKing equiv this weekend at my LHBS in Perth and was shocked at the quality differences. Much better to pay an extra $10 for the K.K or store eqiv in the long run. Might only get another 10 brews out of mine before it falls apart.
Anyone got other tips for basic equipment. I guess...

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You're spot on with both pieces of equipment. The bag is easier to clean as I usually did it at the same time as the grain bag. Noticed today, what I thought was a clean hop basket still had small debris in the folds and joins.
I've also tried the various sized tea balls for dry hopping, but while the main parts are stainless steel, the small joining pins or rivets certainly weren't and corroded.
The K.I.S.S method might be best here, and I'll be going back to the hop sock for the boil, and dry...

After standing there for about half a minute each time I want to use my existing crap thermometer and once overshooting my temp while the heat was on and I was waiting for the thermometer to catch up, I thought stuff it, logged onto fleabay and bought a thermapen. I'm massively into cooking anyway, including roasts and BBQs, so it will come in handy often. :clap:

I had to hold that stupid thing (my old thermometer) carefully too so it would actually stay on..

HELLO four second readings!!...

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Tech support at Ss Brewing suggest sliding a short length of silicon tubing over the tip.
I will try to avoid hitting it when stirring. Maybe the potato masher is better than a spoon.
Thanks for your suggestion.
Robertz

I have a 15 Gallon Blichmann Boil Maker, I was wondering if anyone is using this kettle for BIAB. I have just recently purchased this kettle and I did not take into account the thermostat probe that extends into the kettle. I have not tried to brew a batch with this kettle yet, however it seems to me that the thermostat probe would interfere or puncture the bag.
Any feed back that can address this issue would be greatly appreciated. :thumbs:

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I fitted a Blichmann hop-blocker under the temperature probe, both for function and the hop-blocker also keeps the bag from pushing under the temp probe.

My first brew was an IPA with a ton of hops, and I dumped everything,
and I mean everything, into the ferm bucket for a week. Racked
that first batch to a secondary for a week. There were still a
lot of hops floating around in the bottles (not that I cared...
this was beer that I brewed).

After that I suspended my hops in a muslin bag for a tidier brew,
and I've been getting away from the tons of trub and muck in the
bottom of the...

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I dry hopped with 1oz loose pellet hops for 3 days. After 1.5 days most of the hops were still floating on top of the beer, so I tapped the sides of the carboy to create some agitation on the surface which caused the hops to start settling out. After 3 days all the hops had settled to the bottom and I was able to rack the beer into the bottling bucket with only a small amount of hop debris along for the ride (this in turn also settled out during the course of bottling). I believe that more hop...

Hi guys I am new to biab ie. never done it before, I am wondering would there be an effect on efficiency using a bag that is a lot smaller that the kettle. I have a bag designed for a 50l keggle and I want to use it in a 300l kettle as kind of a partial mash. The bag its self can hold about 20kg or so
Thanks

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Not sure where you are located Yenren, but around here a voile curtain (window sheer) can be picked up the discount mart for $5. You can either sew your own bag from the curtain or simply line the large pot with it.

When I first started BIAB I did it with a friend and we did large batches using a 100 litre pot.

I inherited this pot and still use it for 23 litre brew lengths. I prefer 23 litre batches as I brew outside and have to lift the bag manually on my own (I can also fit in more brew days).

I’ve always wondered if there are any dis-advantages of using a large pot when I’m doing smaller batches in it? I’ve been thinking about downgrading to a 50 litre pot or is it a case of don’t fix what isn’t...

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The worst thing I find with using a large (70L) pot is that I could easily use a 100L pot.. Then eventually I'd want two 100L pots :thumbs: :lol:

i plan to build a brewing stand because i am sick of having to move the kettle from the burner to something higher just to be able to siphon the wort out after the boil. Are there any proven dimensions that should be followed? Some designs will be also usefull for inspiration.

Normally I'd mash in but I've got a rare occurrence of full kegs and fermenters. So instead I went to Big W and got a 20L stainless steel stock pot to act as a malt pipe/grain bag inside my urn. It was advertised at $20 but i noticed that the lid was damaged when I got to the check out. After noticing this they gave it to me for $10! Obviously not a high grade of stainless steel as a magnet sticks to it... nor did I care about the lid seeing it will live inside my...

After posting in this thread here. (This shows what some people do to convert to a brew kettle).

I thought I would add it to the equipment thread as well so at least people are aware of what is available.

I have been thinking for a while about getting one of these for my next kettles .
Only thing holding me back is the effort needed to fit an element. Would make a great mash tun on its own, but thats no good for us BIABers's!

I don't think they are available outside of Europe :scratch: , but...

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I really like the idea of an insulated pot, doesn't appear to be anything similar available around these parts that I can find tho...

I've had lots of time to think about all things beer lately as I recover from a bout of Man Flu

Anyway one thing that came to me as I was coughing up half a lung one afternoon was about Calibrating Thermometers. There's been lots written on here by PistolPatch about not trusting one single thermometer, even if its tested correct with Freezing Water and Boiling water at 0'C and 100'c (32 F and 212 F for our US friends) it doesnt mean that it's right at our most important temp which is Mash...

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Mally, I learned never to boil Methanol, the Gas Fumes is Very Poisoning if you ever breath it!!

Since, Some of use boil off the Ethanol from a BAD batch of beer, the Fumes Are Wonderful(Hic).

Also 174F is a good Number to set/differ to when use that thermometer when Mashing.

I just decided to move toward all grain, and decided on the beer in a bag (BIAB) method. So I bought a Tallboy 8 gallon pot, but needed a bag. Although there is a lot of great information online, and a lot on here, I found that it was quite hard to piece it all together, and took me a while to figure out how to make the bag I wanted. So, I will condense what I learnt into a tutorial below on how to make a bag as I did.

This is an easy but time consuming project. I had no idea how...

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Thanks for the encouragement! Batch #1 is currently fermenting, and I'm hankering to do it again so I'll definitely take pic.

Hi brewers thought I'd show you guys my grain hopper I made on the weekend. I found this sheet of galv steel at a garage sale for 20 bucks and thought I'd replace my old temporary hopper for something a bit more substantial.

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Excellent work. Good job! rumdrinka if you brew as well as you build? Your going to won medals?

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